


Light Paint, Dark Eyes

by Ooft



Category: Bully (Video Games)
Genre: Cute, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kissing, M/M, Wholesome, paint fight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:21:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27765157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ooft/pseuds/Ooft
Summary: Jimmy takes Pete for a tour of his beachside cabin. Cue a paint fight.
Relationships: Jimmy Hopkins & Peter "Petey" Kowalski, Jimmy Hopkins/Beatrice Trudeau, Jimmy Hopkins/Peter "Petey" Kowalski
Kudos: 19





	Light Paint, Dark Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> Not me, writing for a dead fandom

“This whole place is yours?” Pete asks, looking around the cabin in awe. 

Jimmy nods. “Won it off those asshole preps.” 

He can hear Pete breathe a ‘wow’ under his breath and he can’t help but smirk at the sound, hiding his smile behind his fist to spare Pete embarrassment. Pete shows great interest in the bear rug, bending slightly to stare at its teeth in horrified fascination. 

“Is this real?” Pete asks, reaching down and tapping the teeth, pressing his finger into the tip of a fang. He jolts in fright at the way the tooth dips into his skin, but doesn’t cut himself. 

“Fucked if I know,” Jimmy shrugs. “Probably.” 

Pete sweeps his eyes over the room again. “All yours.” 

“You can hang here too if you want,” Jimmy says, plonking himself down on his bed with a grunt. 

“Really?” Pete asks, eyes wide. “Are you sure?” 

“Sure, I’ll get you a key,” Jimmy says. 

Pete frowns and crosses his arms. "I thought we agreed that you'd stop teasing me so much." 

"What?" Jimmy asks. It comes out a lot more harsh than he'd meant it to and he almost apologises at the sight of Pete's grimace. 

"You said you'd stop teasing me so much," Pete says, like it's supposed to mean something. 

Teasing  _ has _ been something Jimmy has actively stopped doing. He thought he was doing well. After the conversation he and Pete had about the teasing a few weeks back, Jimmy had come up with a mental check list for when it's okay to tease Pete: like when he's worried about failing a subject despite his straight A record, or when he does something dorky. Since that talk, Jimmy hasn't teased Pete  _ once _ for his clothes or for tripping over, opting to help him out instead. 

Heat rises in his cheeks and he crosses his arms, mirroring Pete. "I'm not fucking teasing you. I haven't teased you in weeks!" 

Pete takes an uncertain step back from Jimmy, despite the few feet of space that already lies between them. His furrowed brow is enough to make Jimmy regret his outburst. 

Pete shifts from foot to foot as he speaks. "Just- the way you said it, it sounded like you were making fun of me-" 

"You think I'm a fucking liar? I told you I'd stop fucking teasing you and now you're saying I'm some asshole who ignored you?" Jimmy stands up from the bed, clenching his fists at his sides and keeping his jaw clamped shut. 

"Jimmy," Pete says, immediately slinking back against the wall, pressing his shoulders and arms into it, "you're- you're scaring me." 

That's enough to bring him to a standstill. Inhaling through his nose, he relaxes, rolling his shoulders back and loosening them, feeling the blood drain from his face and his fists unclench. Trickling guilt slithers down the shingles of his spine instead, evaporating the anger and replacing it with a profound sense of loathing that he can't bring himself to shake. 

Years ago, he'd said the same words as Pete to his drunken father. The response he got was nowhere near as controlled. 

"I'm sorry," Jimmy says. "I'm not mad at you, which isn't an excuse, but I shouldn't have yelled at you like that." 

Pete nods, stepping away from the wall. "It's okay." 

"It's not." Jimmy makes sure to look him straight in the eyes. "I'm sorry." 

"I didn't really think you were teasing me, if that makes you feel any better," Pete says, rubbing his neck and offering Jimmy a small smile. It goes as an unspoken truth that Pete is still full of enough self doubt to make himself question Jimmy's kindness. 

"What the fuck did you worry me for, then?" Jimmy asks, but it comes out as a begrudging grumble and not an angry hiss, something he's grateful for as he sits down at the poker table. 

Not answering, Pete comes and sits opposite him, staring at all the cards and chips on the table in blank fascination. 

"You really did worry me, you know," Jimmy says, pushing the topic, "I thought that maybe I wasn't doing as good as I thought I was at not upsetting you." 

"You've never  _ upset  _ me, Jimmy, it's just-" Pete shakes his head, clenching his fists in a vexed manner and sighing, "I don't like it. Generally. Even without you being mean. I just don't like people talking about me and telling me what they think of me, you know? And most of the time when you guys tease me, that's what it is. It’s like 'oh Pete, you're small' and stuff like that. I  _ know  _ that, you don't have to tell me. It just makes me uncomfortable." 

Jimmy grunts in acknowledgement like he gets it. He doesn't. After all the abuse he's copped from his father (and even the step fathers who came along after that), everything else pales in comparison. He couldn't give less of a shit what anyone says to him. 

Just because he doesn't understand, however, doesn't mean he doesn't  _ want  _ to. 

"Thanks, by the way," Pete says. 

"For what?" Jimmy asks. 

"For listening to me," Pete says. "And being nice to me and stuff. I… I wanted to say something to you about appreciating you not teasing me earlier, but I thought it would be weird and awkward and dorky, so I didn't." 

Jimmy decides to test the waters. "I don't think you can get much weirder in my eyes, but sure. Whatever floats your boat." 

Pete laughs, ducking his head as a pink blush creeps into his cheeks. Under the table, their knees knock together and neither of them startle, Jimmy allowing his leg to rest against the inside of Pete's calf. He feels warm. 

"So do you like the place?" Jimmy asks, feeling like the previous conversation is very much in need of a change. 

"It's really nice," Pete says. 

"Anything you'd fix?" Jimmy asks, unable to keep himself from smirking when Pete gives him a wide-eyed look. "I won't get mad, I promise." 

"Maybe the bear rug?" Pete says, his voice squeaking a little. 

Jimmy stands up from the table (regretting the loss of contact with Pete) and walks over to the rug, dragging it along the floor and folding it in half. 

"I'll sell it online later," Jimmy says. "Anything else that looks screw-y?" 

Pete shrugs, struggling to make eye contact with Jimmy. "I dunno. I was thinking that maybe… you could paint the outside of the cabin a nicer colour. Like a light blue, or something. Up to you." 

"Sounds cool," Jimmy says. He's definitely got enough money to paint the place - there's only a certain amount of stuff a guy can spend money on around Bullworth, after all. "I'll get you a key for here tomorrow, okay? Then you can come by whenever you want." 

"Thanks," Pete says, smiling brightly. 

"I mean it, too," Jimmy says, "you can come by whenever the hell you want. This place is  _ ours  _ now, not mine." 

Pete blushes again. "Okay." 

From within Pete's pocket, his phone buzzes. Fumbling, he pulls it out and checks the screen, shaking his head and shoving the phone back in as he stands up. 

"I'm really sorry, Jimmy, but I've gotta go," Pete says. "I set a reminder before for my math homework and I completely forgot about it but it's due tomorrow and Hattrick's gonna kill me if I don't have it in-" 

"Pete." Jimmy strides over and puts a hand on Pete's shoulder before he can open the door and leave. 

"Yeah?" Pete asks, staring up at Jimmy through his eyelashes. 

"You're gonna be fine. You're one of the only students Hattrick actually likes, so he'll let your shit slide. Even then, you're gonna get it all done just fine." Jimmy squeezes his shoulder in a way he hopes is reassuring and opens the door for him. 

Pete relaxes a fraction, the tension in his neck ebbing. He steps out of the cabin and turns back to face Jimmy, grinding the toe of his shoe into the wooden pier while biting his lip. After a moment, he tilts his chin up and presses a kiss to Jimmy's cheek, scurrying away before Jimmy can react. 

Watching Pete practically run along the beach, Jimmy fights back the urge to chase him down and grab him and kiss his adorable, pretty little face. 

Jimmy doesn't want to scare him, so he just makes sure Pete reaches the main street safely, then heads back into the cabin, closing the door behind him and walking over to his bed to lay down and fall asleep. 

\---

Pete is walking out of the main school building. Jimmy runs to catch up with him. 

"You doing anything right now?" Jimmy asks out of the blue. 

Pete startles. "No," he says, turning to face Jimmy, blinking away his fright. "Why?" 

"Do you have any old, shitty clothes to wear? Ones that you don't mind never seeing again?" Jimmy asks. 

Pete nods. 

"And a bike?" Jimmy asks. 

"I, uh… I don't actually know how to ride a bike," Pete says, rubbing his arm and staring at the ground. 

Weeks ago, Jimmy would have teased him for that. "Huh. Double up with me, then." 

"Wouldn't it be easier to catch the bus?" Pete asks. 

"Yeah, but it takes longer and it costs money. We'd end up walking, anyway." Jimmy says. 

"Are you sure it's okay?" Pete asks. 

"Well - I know you don't like hearing it - but you  _ are  _ small, and pretty skinny, so it's not a problem. It'll be like riding with a backpack on, trust me," Jimmy says. 

Pete frowns, but nods anyway. "Okay. Let me go get changed." 

Jimmy nods and leaves him be, heading for the bike garage. A few of the greasers and bullies are hanging around outside, but none of them bother him as he passes, a few sparing him backward glances and continuing their conversations. 

His BMX and mountain bike sit in the garage, so he opts for the mountain bike. The handling on it is smoother, he's found, and carries weight more easily than the BMX. 

Pulling up outside the boys dorm, Jimmy waits for Pete to come out. A few of the nerds are standing around, chatting to each other in annoying, scratchy voices and waving their arms. Beatrice, the only girl to hang around with them, notices Jimmy and walks over, a wide smile plastered across her face. 

She's pretty, Jimmy thinks, but she's not all that interesting to him. Half of the conversations he's had with her haven't really  _ been  _ conversations, it's just like she speaks and he struggles to keep up with her, confused by her intelligence and scientific fascinations. Biology class has been easy enough - cut shit open, take the insides out, put them on a tray - but the depth Beatrice goes into when she talks about it is confounding, with all her garble of 'micro-organisms' and 'radiology'. 

Today, she doesn't seem all that interested in talking about biology - not the  _ boring  _ kind, anyway. 

"Hey Jimmy," she drawls, striking up a flirty and coy pose as she stands in front of him. 

"Looking good today, Beatrice," Jimmy says as a way of greeting. Pete will be done changing soon and Jimmy wants to get him the hell out of the school grounds as soon as possible, so skipping pleasantries seems the best way of getting Beatrice's shit done. 

Beatrice giggles at Jimmy's compliment. "You're not so bad yourself." 

"So," Jimmy says, "did you come over here just to show off your new lip gloss, or…?" 

Beatrice leans in and kisses him, shy at first, but quickly gaining confidence and pressing herself into his chest. By the end of it, his leg aches from trying to keep balanced on his bike and his head spins at the lack of oxygen going through his blood. He manages to give her a crooked smile before she's running away and hiding a giggle behind her hand, going back over to her nerd friends and acting like nothing has happened. At the sight of her chatting to Cornelius, Jimmy wonders if she kisses other boys. He wonders if she knows  _ he _ does. 

He also wonders what it would be like to kiss Pete. That peck on the cheek yesterday had him buzzing in the middle of the night, wide awake and hoping it'll happen again. He's never felt like this before. Every other kiss, he's walked away without feelings, gotten over the excitement in a matter of minutes and never given it another thought. With Pete, it just keeps knocking around in his skull, persistent,  _ insistent.  _ He's a liar if he claims he doesn't know why. 

Pete comes out of the dorm in ratty jeans and a hoodie, awkward in the way he stands at the top of the stairs and sizes up Jimmy and his bike. 

"Hop on the back," Jimmy says, shuffling forward in his seat to give more room for Pete to get on. 

After a few  _ ums  _ and  _ ahs,  _ Pete figures out what he's doing and climbs behind Jimmy, placing light hands on his shoulders. It's difficult to push off from the ground and find balance, though Jimmy forces himself to concentrate and not let Pete down. Given the nature of Pete's anxiety, or the way he's explained it, Jimmy figures that any accidents happening on the bike will set him off and upset him, especially since Jimmy has reassured him multiple times that everything will be fine. 

As they leave the school, someone yells out a slur. Jimmy responds with a simple  _ 'fuck off, asswipe,'  _ and hears nothing more. Pete's hands slip from Jimmy's shoulders to his hips as they fly down the road, his thin arms snaking around Jimmy's waist when they hit a few lumps in the road. 

"You okay back there?" Jimmy asks as he stops pedalling, allowing the bike to glide along the main road. 

A car honks in the distance and another responds in turn, drowning Pete's response out. 

"What?" Jimmy says. 

"I'm fine!" Pete says, his arms still rigid and tight around Jimmy's waist. 

"You can tell me if you aren't, okay?" Jimmy says, turning the bike as smoothly as he can to the left, heading for the pier of the beach. 

"Okay," Pete says. 

The bike grinds through the sand with ease, carrying the two boys on top and over to the cabin. Jimmy stops the bike beside the pier outside the cabin and lets Pete extract his grip from his waist and get off the bike before he parks it. 

"Back in a sec," Jimmy says, leaving Pete to stand on the beach while he runs into the cabin. 

Pete's eyes widen at the sight of Jimmy coming back outside, a bucket of paint and several paintbrushes stacked in his arms. 

"You want us to paint the house," Pete says, grinning and excited as he hops from foot to foot. 

"Well yeah, I was hoping you'd help," Jimmy says, laying out a paint tray and tipping light blue paint onto it. 

Pete picks up a brush and rolls it through the paint, pushing it against the wall. "And you remembered what colour I told you to get." 

"I figured you knew what you were talking about," Jimmy says, following suit and beginning to paint as well. 

They make short work of the front wall, Pete doing most of the work. 

"How the hell did you learn to paint like that?" Jimmy asks, staring in awe as Pete polishes off the last bit of his section. He's painted over three quarters in the time it's taken Jimmy to paint one. 

Pete smiles at the ground. "Well, I've had practice painting stage sets and stuff for the annual play, so…" 

"Clearly you didn't learn well enough," Jimmy says, smirking, "because you've got paint right… here." 

Reaching out, he wipes away a spot of paint from Pete's cheek, only realising at the last moment that his own thumb is covered in the stuff. Blue is now smeared across Pete's cheekbone, stark against the dark brown of his eyes. 

"Jimmy!" Pete whines, reaching up to wipe his cheek. "What the hell, man?" He pouts, but only manages to make himself look positively  _ adorable,  _ not all that grumpy. 

Jimmy watches in confusion as Pete runs his finger along his paint roller, then understands what's happening only as Pete jabs a finger into his cheek, swiping along and leaving a wet trail with his fingertip. 

Shaking his head, Jimmy puts paint on his whole hand and lunges toward Pete, pressing a hand to his chest and leaving a scrappy print there. Pete shrieks in laughter and dodges around Jimmy, putting his palms into the paint tray and holding them out in the air, a wild look in his eyes and a silly grin stretching across his face. 

Jimmy makes a dive for the paint tray, trying to copy what Pete did. Above his head, Pete laughs and Jimmy can feel a wet hand pressing against the back of his neck, another swiping across his back. Rough rubbing goes along his spine, most likely leaving a long trail of paint. 

Satisfied with how covered his hands are, Jimmy steps back from Pete and pushes his hands out, wiggling his fingers when they find purchase against Pete's stomach. Giggling and writhing, Pete tries to escape Jimmy's tickling hands, but Jimmy chases him, grabbing him around the waist and dragging him in. 

"Sto-" Pete cuts out as he shrieks in laughter, sagging in Jimmy's arms, "stop, oh my God-" 

Jimmy tickles him for a few more seconds until he goes completely limp. Careful and slow, he lowers himself and Pete to the ground, sitting with Pete leant back against his chest, both of them panting heavily. 

"You okay?" Jimmy asks when he's caught his breath. 

"I'm great," Pete says, and as he glances back to meet Jimmy's eyes, Jimmy can tell he means it. His cheeks are wet with laughing tears and his teeth shine in a grin, his eyes crinkled at the corners and his whole body relaxed. 

Jimmy's never seen him this happy. He can't help but grin back. 

"Can I kiss you?" Pete asks, quiet and shy. 

_ That  _ was a request Jimmy never thought he'd hear Pete make. He's so shocked by it, he isn't even sure how to respond. 

At the lack of answer, Pete frowns. "I'm sorry. Like, I know you've got that whole thing with Beatrice and whatever, so I shouldn't have asked and  _ God  _ I feel stupid right now-" 

"Pete, no," Jimmy says, shaking his head and snaking an arm around Pete's waist, "I was just surprised. Beatrice and me, we're not- we're not anything, okay? I like her and all, she's smart and pretty, but I wouldn't date her." 

"Really?" Pete turns to him, head tilted in curiosity. 

"Really," Jimmy says. When they're both silent for a moment, he smirks. "Now, about that kiss…" 

Pete presses his lips to Jimmy's, sucking on his bottom lip, his hands drifting up to cup Jimmy's jaw. Their noses are pressed from side to side, lips and teeth and tongues making themselves known as the two of them continue to kiss. Jimmy slides an arm under Pete's hoodie, brushing his fingers against the soft skin there, his rough and calloused hands feeling complementary, in a weird, nice way. 

Pulling away, Jimmy smiles at the sight of Pete's flushed face and swollen lips. Pete grins back, though buries his face into Jimmy's shoulder a moment later, his hot, panting breath spreading through Jimmy's hoodie. 

"Are you sure this is okay?" Pete asks. 

"Of course," Jimmy says, still rubbing his palm over Pete's stomach, marvelling at the way electricity seems to spark beneath his fingers. 

"Is there a shower in the cabin?" Pete asks after a moment. 

Jimmy chuckles. "Moving a bit fast, don't you think? Take me to dinner, first." 

"Not that way," Pete says, his cheeks a flaming red. "I just wanna get this paint off." 

"Sure," Jimmy says, easing himself away from Pete and standing up. 

Pete takes his hand when he offers it and lets Jimmy pull him up. The close contact offers Jimmy another chance to kiss him and so he takes it, pressing his lips to Pete's and holding him tight in his arms. 

Pete pulls away and drifts inside the cabin and into the bathroom, the sound of the water running coming through a few seconds later. 

When Pete comes out of the bathroom, his paint-stained clothes on again, Jimmy presents him with a key to the cabin and a spare change of clothes. Beaming, Pete takes the key and attaches it to his keyset, telling Jimmy it's going right between his house key and his dorm key. 

"You're a dork," Jimmy says, grinning. 

Pete rolls his eyes and pulls him in for another kiss. 


End file.
